Shiba Homecoming
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Follows Farm Days - The Samurai come home. As they adjust to life back in the Shiba House, they get a couple of unexpected visitors.
1. Back At Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers: (Super) Samurai. This is purely fan-made.

* * *

They had waited a long time, but it was finally the day.

"HOME!" Mike was through the doors first and tossed his bags onto the floor, threw his hands up and had a very bright smile on his face as he took in the sight of the Shiba House. The common room, the dojo, the hallways, the kitchen, the bedrooms, it was all there. They were finally back where they belonged.

"This place looks great," Jayden glanced around, seeing everything was exactly as he remembered it, "They did a good job rebuilding it."

"Gap Sensor's up," Kevin smiled and pointed to the alarm, "Now we'll know when Nighlok turn up."

Emily and Mike looked to each other a little nervously. They still hadn't breathed a word about their encounter with Dayu on their wedding night. Nothing had happened, but it was still news they figured the others would want to know, especially given how strange the encounter was.

"The protective Symbols are up too," Mia breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she could sleep peacefully. Though she was sure she had all her friends back, and none of them were Nighlok, the fact that Kevin, of all people, had been switched for a Nighlok and passed unnoticed had made her a little uneasy. But they had all walked through the shields without a problem. They were all safe. She was happy.

Serena walked into the common room and smiled. All their disks and weapons were laid out on the table. Fortunately, they were all built to survive attacks. They had a few scratches on them, and a few dents, but they looked ready for use.

Emily followed her sister into the common room. She saw the weapons had all been salvaged and then wondered about the Samurai documents. She turned her attention to the bookshelf. It was nowhere near as full as it had once been, but it looked like Ji's friends had managed to recover some things.

But there was one thing missing from the bookshelf. As she approached it slowly, Mike breathed a sad sigh. He knew what had caught her eye, or rather, what hadn't. The thought had occurred to him back when they had been living on the island.

Scruffy's remains were gone. All that was left was a broken piece of the urn that one of Ji's friends found and placed on the bookshelf. Emily picked up the piece and looked to it sadly.

"Guys, why don't you go figure out the bedrooms again?" Mike suggested, hoping to get a little privacy for himself and Emily. As they walked off, Mike wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and gently pulled her into his chest. Emily continued to stare at the only thing left of her beloved dog. Though she had her back turned to Mike, he knew she was tearing up.

"He's fine, Emily," he whispered to soothe her, "When I died, I talked to him. He's very happy. He's watching over us."

"I didn't care what the house looked like," Emily said. She put the piece of the urn back on the bookshelf and pulled away from Mike, "I didn't care whether they put our stuff in the right place or not. That's the only thing I wanted back."

"Emily, the house caved in and flooded. His ashes are long gone by now."

"So are yours," Emily whispered. Mike pulled her back in and kissed the top of her head.

"Scruffy says he loves you and not to worry about him."

"You really saw him when you were dead?"

"Didn't my face kind of smell like dog breath when you first hugged me?"

"A little," Emily chuckled. Mike smiled and then took her hand. He started to pull her towards the hallway to collect their bags, and then to the bedrooms. They had claimed their old bedroom and saw it was waiting for them. Locking the door after they entered, they had a look around. It did feel a little more like home now. Mike put his suitcase on the bed and unzipped it. He reached inside and pulled out a small photo album, which he set on the night table beside his half of the bed. Then he pulled out a picture frame with a picture inside. They didn't have many shots of their wedding, but during the ceremony, it seemed Kate and Antonio had snapped pictures, many of which were of them lost in each other's eyes. Mike and Emily loved the pictures and had framed their very favourite, and kept all others in their small, but very meaningful photo album.

"Mia must be so jealous," Mike laughed as he set the framed picture on the night table on Emily's side, "I'm pretty sure she thought she would be the first to get married."

"She was frustrated at the wedding," Emily smirked, "Apparently we weren't doing everything right."

"When do we ever do everything right? Mia should have seen this coming."

"It was really nice of her to do that for us," Emily picked up the picture frame, "Thanks to her, we're legally married."

"It's a wicked feeling," Mike nodded and then gestured to the bed, "So…?"

"MIKE!" Emily giggled, "The others are right outside!"

"Make-out, then," Mike put his hands together and begged, "C'mon, this is the first time in days we get privacy as a married couple."

"Maybe later. We should help the others…"

"Do what?"

"I don't know," Emily shrugged. She could see Mike was slowly coming towards her, "Mike, I said maybe later."

"Are you sure?" he reached out and grabbed her, tickling her sides. She screamed as she tried to pull away, but her laughter stopped her from doing so effectively.

"Maybe is… never… sure," she laughed. Mike lifted her up, over his shoulder and dropped her on the bed. She hit the mattress and then jumped up to run away. Mike counted to five and then playfully chased after her. One thing he loved about the Shiba House was how spacious every room was, including the hallways. It made chases so much more fun.

But, with so many hallways, there were also a lot of twists and turns. Emily made it around the corner, slipping and sliding as she did, but when Mike turned the corner he lost his grip on the floor, fell onto his butt and slipped right into the wall and into the stand for one of Ji's new bonsai, smashing the pot on the floor, sending dirt and stones everywhere and almost killing the plant.

Ji saw this from the kitchen and groaned, "Welcome home…"


	2. Baby Search

The Shiba House was in move-in condition. All the Samurai's furniture was in where it was supposed to be, and was identical to what they had before the big disaster. It almost felt as though nothing had happened.

Except for the fact that the fridge and cupboards were completely bare, and so the Samurai Rangers were off grocery shopping, while Ji helped Kate move into James' old home.

Serena and James were at the Shiba House, taking advantage of the time alone to figure out their new bedroom. With a growing son, and a growing relationship, they wanted privacy, but despite the size of the Shiba House, giving Terran his very own bedroom didn't seem convenient at all. The Nighlok had already proven that though the shield could keep them out, they had ways of getting their attacks in. It was very unlikely, but Serena and James both wanted to keep Terran close just in case there was another attack that destroyed the house.

As they were busy discussing the layout of their room, and what they could do with it, Terran, who was playing by himself on a blanket on the floor decided to get up and go for a walk. He hadn't been to the Shiba House in so long that this was a whole new world to him. Up on his feet, he walked right out of the room and down the hallway. He glanced over his shoulder to see if either James or Serena were following, but got excited when he saw a small table and rushed over to play with it. Now that he was on his feet, there was nothing stopping him.

Inside the room, James shook his head, "If we put the bed there, the sun will shine right through the window in the morning and will get me right in the eyes."

"James," Serena groaned, "There's _nowhere_ else to put the bed. The closet's there, the door's there, and with all our stuff… this is the spot."

"Then you sleep on the sunny side."

Serena sighed, "You're being a baby. Curtains do exist, you know. We'll have to get some anyways for Terran's nap times."

"Speaking of," James looked down at his watch and saw it was getting close to that time for Terran. If he wanted the little boy to fall asleep easily, he was going to have to wind him down. Terran was so full of energy, that when it was time for naps, he never knew what to do with himself. If he wasn't settled, he would scream like he was being tortured. Serena insisted, somehow, Mike had put a bit of himself in Terran's genetics.

Serena also knew it was close to naptime because she was feeling a little tired too. She turned around to pick up her son and saw he was gone. All his toys were on the blanket, but Terran had completely disappeared. James noticed this too and quickly raced out of the room, hoping Terran hadn't gotten far. As they ran out of the room, they went in the opposite direction Terran had gone.

The little boy spotted his parents as he played with the little table in the hallway and he decided to follow them. He wobbled down the hallway until he walked by the bedroom door and he was distracted again, this time, by all his toys. He tried to pick them up and collect them in his arms, but when he would reach for a second one, the first would drop out of his hand. When he would try to pick it back up, he would drop the toy in his hands. This process continued until Storm walked into the room. Again, Terran was distracted. He loved the dog and was completely amazed every time he saw her. Falling onto his bum, he crawled over to Storm. She was taking advantage of the empty house to explore, just like Terran. When she saw the human baby coming towards her, though, she tried to get away.

But Terran was on the hunt. When Storm ran he got back up onto his feet and walked after her. Of course, that only lasted for so long. He walked by the hall closet, saw it had been left open just a little bit and decided to explore in there. Squeezing himself between the frame and the door, he got in and then didn't come out.

Elsewhere in the house, Serena and James were really starting to lose their heads. They felt like they had searched everywhere, and couldn't imagine Terran getting very far. James opened up every kitchen cabinet, both low and high, hoping his son hadn't somehow crawled in there.

"We are horrible, horrible parents," Serena walked into the kitchen, saw James searching through the top selves and groaned, "He can barely reach your knees, James. I highly doubt he scaled Mount Countertop, jumped up into the cabinets and made his way to the very peek of the kitchen.

"I've searched everywhere else," James shook his head, "He gets this troublesome gene from your family, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Serena rolled her eyes and glanced under the table. No sign of Terran there.

"Normally I find him by now," James muttered. Serena was wide-eyed.

"You've lost him before?"

"Once!" James cried and backed away from Serena. He tried to make it look like he was going to search the dojo next, "I was shopping and he slipped out of the stroller and I lost him. It was five minutes and it's not like he could get into any trouble."

"Oh, yeah. Babies never get into trouble. They always do exactly what they're supposed to do."

"Don't get mad at me," James shook his head. "You lost him too."

Serena groaned and glanced up and down the hallway and James walked to the dojo for a thorough look. He had to be somewhere inside the house. He couldn't just disappear.

Serena made her way to the common room and started to search in there, tipping over stools, looking in and under storage spaces. Terran was eight months old. Why was he so good at hide and seek? Her heart started to race as she imagined all the places he could be, and just how dangerous this house was for a little baby. Something could be knocked over and fall on his head. He could slip and hurt himself. If he found one of the electrical outlets and decided, like Emily had done once, to stick his finger in it, he could be seriously hurt, or worse. Emily had barely survived that horrible experience, and she had been twice Terran's age.

Terrified her son was taking after her side of the family, Serena started to tear the house apart. She really, desperately needed to find her son _now._

The timing really couldn't have been better for the Samurai to come home from their grocery shopping. Serena never wanted to admit she had lost her son, but a search and rescue team was exactly what she needed. Leaping over the overturned furniture, she bolted to the front entrance.

"Terran's missing."

Cans dented the floor, the juice was shaken, fruit was bruised, meat made a gushy splat sound, and the eggs cracked as the bags were dropped.

"What?"

"He's in the house," Serena was sure to tell them, "but… we can't find him."

"How do you lose him?" Mia asked, stepping over the groceries to have a look around, determined to find the young Samurai quickly. "One eye on baby at all times. Between the two of you, there should have been two!"

"We're horrible parents, we know," Serena nodded and went back to the common room to resume her search while everyone spread out, each taking a section of the house. Terran couldn't hide from all of them for long. Kevin took the bedrooms, Mike searched the bathrooms (he was the only one hoping he wouldn't find Terran), Jayden helped James in the dojo. Antonio searched the kitchen, Mia searched the spare rooms and laundry rooms, Serena was in the common room, and Emily looked through the halls.

"Terran?" she called. The little boy couldn't speak, but when he heard a sound he always tried to check it out, "Terran? C'mon, little monster. Come out, come out, wherever you are."

As she walked by the hall closet she heard a thump. She stopped, examined the partially opened door, and heard another thump.

"Terran?" she opened the closet and knelt to the ground. There he was, her little nephew, curled up in the spare blankets, trying to get comfortable for his nap. Emily lifted him into her arms and chuckled.

"Mommy and daddy were worried sick, little monkey," she told him as she carried him into Serena and James' bedroom, but saw it was a mess from all the reorganizing they were trying to get done.

Terran was passing out in her arms already and didn't care where he was put down to sleep. So Emily walked him to her room, cleared off the bed so it was safe, laid him down, and then, with symbol power, put a gate around the edge of the bed so he wouldn't roll off.

Then she walked to the front entrance, picked up a couple of bags of groceries, put them in the kitchen, picked out a box of cookies and started to eat. Antonio looked to her strangely. She smirked.

"My reward."

"For what?"

"Finding Terran," Emily held out the box, "I'll share this time if you promise not to tell the others. Watching them scramble is funny."

"Deal," Antonio took a handful of the bite sized cookies and took a seat at the table with Emily, "How long do you think it'll take them to notice he's safe and sound?"

"Knowing them, days," Emily giggled. "I put Terran down for his nap in my room, and it was a little cleaner than when I left it. And the door was closed. I think Kevin searched there already."

"You just used the word clean to describe the room you share with Mike," Antonio got up and grabbed the milk carton from the grocery bag. A cookie without milk was a sin. "Kevin was definitely in your room."

"OW! Why are you hitting me?" Mike cried from another room, "I'm not the one who lost him!"

Antonio and Emily giggled contently, listening to the search as it happened, until Emily's Samuraizer started to beep. She answered it.

"Hello?"

"Why is no one answering their Samuraizer?" it was Ji calling. Emily smirked and gestured for Antonio to lean in to listen.

"They think they lost Terran."

"They think? Should I ask?"

"No. What do you need?"

"James' phone just rang. It was his parents. They plan on stopping by and wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Did you tell them James doesn't live there anymore," Emily asked. Antonio grinned.

"If they don't find Terran soon, Serena might send him back anyways."

Ji sighed, "I told them he had moved out. They asked where he lived. They're on their way to the house now."

"Here?" Emily had a look around. Because everyone was still looking for Terran, the house was a mess except for the rooms Kevin was searching.

"I panicked."

"Which is a great quality for a Ranger mentor," Emily grumbled and looked to Antonio. He shrugged.

"We hid the Samurai secret from my father," he said. "We've barely moved in. If we put some Samurai stuff away, the dojo could just look like a gym and this is just an Asian styled house."

"I guess we did pull it off once," Emily nodded, "And it's about time Serena met the family. This should be twice as funny."

"Should we warn them?" Antonio asked. "Parents stopping by is a pretty big deal."

"But if we warn them, we have to tell them we found Terran," Emily sighed. She put the box of cookies away, "The sacrifices I make for entertainment."

"Well…" Antonio looked to Emily thoughtfully. He had a plan in mind. She looked eager to hear it, bouncing slightly. "We need this place cleaned, right?"

"Yeah. I don't want James' family thinking we live in a pig-sty."

"Kevin cleans as he looks. What if we tell everyone _but_ Kevin we found Terran. We can watch him scramble, and still get this place organized in time for meeting the parents."

Emily smirked, "We really need to team up more often, Antonio," she gave the gold Ranger a high five, "I'll go tell the others I found him. You go make up an excuse for why Kevin has to clean, uh search the entire house."


	3. The Unbelievables And The Whack Pack

After warning the house that James' parents were on their way, everyone was getting ready to greet them. They had finally gotten through to James' cell phone and were but minutes away.

James, understandably, was in a panic. Though he was close with his family, he had been so busy lately he hadn't talked to them in a long time. They barely even knew about Serena, never mind Terran. They were in for a big shock and he was going to have to make sure this didn't blow up in his face.

Serena was the most nervous though as she tried to get dressed to impress. James had been through hell meeting her family and she was sure she could expect the same from his. This was also the first time she had ever met her future in-laws, and if they didn't like her, there was really nothing she could do about it. She heard horror stories of wives and husbands who had to deal with terrible in-laws, and the stress and frustrations it caused not just at family gatherings, but in the marriage as well. And in a relationship where family was very important, this was a huge deal.

"What if," Emily was helping Serena get ready, though Serena would use the term helping very loosely, "no matter how hard you try, and no matter how perfect you are, they don't like you. I mean, you have an entire town back home that loves you. People here seem to love you. At some point, you're going to run into someone who just hates your guts, for no reason…"

"Emy," Serena grabbed her sister's shoulders and looked right in her eyes, "Stop it."

"I'm just saying; your good luck needs to come to an end at some point. This could be it. And it would only be fair. When James met mom and dad and asked for your hand in marriage, dad brought out the gun and aimed it right for him."

"Emily…"

"You need to suffer the equivalent. A lifetime of dealing with _the in-laws._"

"MIA!" Serena screamed and the pink Ranger came running. Serena pointed to Emily, "Get this pest out of my room."

Mia chuckled, took Emily's hand and led her out of the room, "Serena's got enough to worry about, Emy. Why don't we go make Terran look as cute as possible so his new grandparents can't resist inviting him into their family?"

"Thank you," Serena breathed as Emily was removed from her room and she was left alone to get ready. The peace lasted for only a quick moment, though, as the doorbell rang and Serena jumped out of her skin.

"I'll get it!" Emily cried and raced for the door. This was going to be fun for her. She opened door and saw an older couple looking a little surprised. Given the size of the house, the distance from the city, and the style, Emily knew to expect this. Still, she greeted them with a bright smile, took their bags and invited them inside. "You must be the Smiths!"

"And you are?" Mr. Smith looked at her strangely. She seemed to be expecting him, but he was very surprised to see her. Last he heard, James had a girlfriend, but there was no way she was this young.

"A pest," another woman, this time a little older came over from down the hall and grabbed the excited welcoming committee of one by the arm while chuckling, "C'mon, Emy, we'll say our hellos in a minute. There's a little nephew waiting to be changed."

As Emily was dragged away, leaving the Smith's bags by the door, James raced around the corner, fixing up his shirt by tucking it in nicely. It had been so long since he had seen or even talked to his parents, he wanted to look good.

"Mom, dad!"

"So we did get the right house," Mr. Smith chuckled as he finally saw his son, "Gotta say, James, this is definitely an interesting home you've moved to."

"Why move?" his mother asked and pulled him into a hug. "Your last house was perfect for you."

"I… uh, outgrew it," James scratched the back of his head. His father smirked and nudged him.

"For that girl you told us about last time? What was her name? Sara? Selena?"

"Serena," James smiled as he said her name and then nodded, "Uh, yeah. Things between us have gotten pretty serious and well… let me get her."

James pointed to the common room and told his parents to have a seat while he raced off to find her. He didn't have to search far. Turning the corner, he saw her hiding behind her wall.

"The mighty white Ranger," he laughed, "The fearsome big sister. The dangerous mama, cowering from mere mortals. What a sight."

"Those are no mere mortals," Serena whispered and pulled James further down the hall. When the doorbell rang and Serena knew her in-laws were in the house, a thousand thoughts hit her all at once, terrifying her. "James, remember when we got engaged, and I told you how you were unbelievable?"

"Yeah."

"I'm about to meet Mr. and Mrs. Unbelievable. The people who raised you to be… this, are about to judge me and my whacky family!"

"They'll like you," James insisted and took her hand. Serena pulled away.

"What if Emily's right?"

"Emily? What is she saying?"

"What if they hate me?"

"They won't hate you," James gave her a kiss. As they parted, they heard the microwave beeping. Turning around and looking down the hall, into the kitchen, they saw Mike, Antonio, and Jayden were making popcorn. Serena's eyes were like saucers as she turned back to James in horror.

"See! This is going to be entertaining for them!"

James rolled his eyes, "Mike met you and survived."

"Oh god!" Serena backed away further from James, "What if your parents treat me like I treated Mike?"

"Alright, bad example," James took Serena's hand and held on tightly, "My parents are going to love you, I promise. "

Just as he started to lead her into the common room,for the meeting that seemed to terrify her more than Xandred ever could Terran crawled by, as fast as he could, and Emily raced after him with his shirt in her hands.

"You sneaky boy… AHH!" Emily slipped, landed on her butt, and slid on the hardwood floors. They were close enough to the common room, where the Smiths were sitting, that she slid past the entrance and slowly came to a stop. Terran watched his aunt fly right by him, got up onto his feet to follow her, and when he saw her lying on the floor, trying to process exactly what had just happened, he gave her a round of applause and a loud laugh.

Serena looked to James in a panic, "James, I hope you know, you're about to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Unbelievable to the whack pack."


	4. Disappointment

After tending to Emily's sore bottom, and getting Terran's shirt on, it was finally time for James to make the big reveal. He was starting to feel a little nervous now. Not only did he have to tell his parents he was engaged, but he also had adopted his fiancée's son, and was playing a very active role in raising the little boy.

"Mom, dad," he called for their attention and they looked at him. Serena, worried this was the moment where his parents would hate her forever, focused her attention on Emily, making sure her sister's butt wouldn't be too badly bruised, "You remember that girlfriend I told you about a while back?"

"Serena?"

James nodded his head, gulped slightly, and pointed to Serena, "This is my fiancée."

"Fiancée?" his mother's jaw hit the floor. His father looked very proud and very shocked. James continued the introductions, hoping to spread the attention around a little bit, "Lady Slips-A-Lot is her sister Emily, and this little troublemaker is Terran… our… uh… son."

Mrs. Smith looked like she was about to pass out. Mr. Smith looked conflicted. James pulled up a stool and sat across from his parents. He had some fast talking to do.

"I know I should have told you earlier but…"

"You have a son?" his mother asked. "James, you move, you're engaged, you have a son, and not once did it occur to you to pick up the phone and…"

"That's my fault," James nodded his head, "I should have called to tell you but things here are pretty busy and…"

"I raised you better than this," his mother got up and stormed off, finding a room with a door and slamming it loudly. Serena's eyes were wide. She lost her breath and excused herself from the room, racing to her bedroom. Mr. Smith gave James a disappointed look and then went after his wife.

"We'll talk about this later, son."

With only himself, Terran, and Emily left in the room, James dropped his head in his hands and rested his elbows on his knees. Emily reached out, lifted Terran on her lap and looked to James, "There was probably a smoother way to do that."

"I would have dropped a bomb on them no matter what," James shook his head.

"Your parents really had no idea, huh?"

"Not a clue. I've been so busy with you guys and with Terran that… I just never had the time. And if I did… it was a lot for over the phone."

"You couldn't, you know, go see them when you were taking care of Terran?"

"Between finding a job to support him, and actually being there for him, I didn't have much time," James answered, "And my family's always so busy… This was really the first chance I got."

Emily sighed and stood up, "I'll go make sure Serena's okay. Try not to introduce your parents to anyone else for a while."

"Yeah… good idea."

"And if it helps, you can tell your parents Terran's not biologically yours. If your parents are disappointed you have a baby before you're married, you can maybe redeem yourself by being the man who stepped up to the plate, instead of the man who made a stupid mistake…"

"Thanks, Em, but Terran is my son," James shook his head, "I want my parents to accept it for what it is."

Emily came over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Well, then maybe this will help. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Monster."

"I'm going to check up on Serena. Should I take Terran with me?"

"Yes, please."

Emily nodded. She gave James a gentle pat on the back and then walked down the hall to find her sister. She knocked gently on the door and then walked in, only to find Serena on the bed with her face buried into a pillow. She set Terran down in his crib with his toys and then sat down beside her sister, pulling her up.

"When I said they wouldn't like you, you know I meant, like, condescending remarks from time to time about the way you cook, clean, and take care of the house, right?"

Serena sat up and wiped her eyes, "Did you see the look on her face when James told her about Terran?"

Emily shook her head, "Not really."

"She gave James the same look mom gave me."

"Serena…"

"She's disappointed in him, just like mom was disappointed in me. It ruined our family, Emily."

"We're fine, now!" Emily threw her arms around Serena, "Mom's back and she loves Terran, and she loves you and…"

"What if… what if it happens to James? And he's not as lucky as we were? What if Terran tears them apart like he almost did with us? I've screwed up his family, just like I screwed up ours!"

"Serena, stop it! Everything's going to be okay. His parents are allowed to be shocked and angry. You have to let them get over it. They'll come around."

"Not after that look," Serena shook her head, "That's the look, Emily. I know it. I've seen it before…"

"You're not ruining his family, Serena!" Emily insisted and squeezed her sister a little tighter. Serena hugged her sister and buried her face in her shoulder as she thought back to the moment she told her own parents about her son.

_"I'm pregnant," she finally managed to say it loud enough for the room to hear. Her mother backed away. Jack looked ready to kill. Neither said anything, though, which confirmed Serena's fears. She had disappointed them._

"Everything's going to be okay," Emily whispered into her ear, "I promise. Terran will be sweet and adorable, they won't be able to resist calling him their grandson, and I'll be on my best behaviour too. I'll be super sister and amazing aunt. You and James will have such a perfect family, they'll be so proud of him, and of you."

"Emy…"

"I promise."


	5. Belly Up

With her sister in tears, and her brother worried for his family, Emily knew she had to get to work. She talked with the other Samurai, told them what had happened, how Serena was feeling, and now no one could let James' family fall apart and they were on board with her plan.

As they sat in the common, keeping Terran entertained, Emily walked to the guest room. James was currently inside, trying to talk to his parents so he could explain himself, but judging by the yelling Emily could hear from her side of the door, she knew things weren't going well. James had dropped quite the bomb on his parents, and she knew they had every right to be upset. She could only hope this would work. She knocked on the door and then invited herself in. This was her house after all.

The room fell silent as she walked in. James looked like he had about had it with his parents.

"Um, do you mind if I try talking to them?" she asked him.

James threw his hands up in the air and walked out. Emily closed the door behind him and looked to Mr. and Mrs. Unbelievable, as Serena had called them.

"Uh…"

"If you're here to try and tell us how great your sister is, you can turn around and walk right out the door," Mrs. Smith growled. "We're not ready to hear it."

"Yeah," Emily nodded, "You know, I was kind of pissed when I first heard about Terran too."

"Did your sister hide it from you for months?"

"She definitely didn't tell me right away," Emily shrugged her shoulders, "I had to hear about it from the doctor over the phone. My parents weren't very happy when they found out…"

"Your parents know?" Mr. Smith groaned and shook his head, "So we're last to know? For what reason? Aren't we just as important as…?"

"No, no, you have it all wrong," Emily shook her head and tried to work her way out of this little bump, "Terran isn't James' son."

"But…"

"Biologically, I mean. Terran's biological dad is Serena's ex-boyfriend. Things didn't work out… He wasn't a nice guy."

Mrs. Smith had a look of utter shock and rage on her face, "Well, that's just fantastic," she cried sarcastically and looked to her husband, "Do you hear that? Our grandson isn't our grandson!"

"That's not a bad thing," Emily shook her head. This was going belly-up. She needed to save herself, her sister, and her sister and James' relationship, "James loved Serena even with the baby. He was a real hero…"

"That's probably exactly what she wanted," Mrs. Smith rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry, Emily, I know she's your sister, but I can't help but feel this is exactly what she wanted. She gets pregnant, daddy leaves, so she finds some other guy to mooch off of…"

"No, Serena's not like that! She didn't need James' help, he offered…"

"Sweetie," Mrs. Smith gentle put her hand on Emily's shoulder and looked down at her sympathetically, "I know it's hard. I have an older sister too. I would hate to think she would stoop so low, but people do what they feel they need to do and…"

"Serena's a good person! James is a good person too! A really good person. She's tried to push him away so many times and he just kept fighting for her…"

"She made him think this is his choice," Mr. Smith muttered. "With those pretty blue eyes, I'll bet she could get anything she wanted from him. Obviously…"

"No, no, no!" Emily stomped her foot, "You're getting it all wrong! Serena and James love each other. No one's tricking anyone! Serena's not a bad person!"

"I'm sure she's an excellent sister," Mrs. Smith looked to Emily and tried to calm her down, "but the fact of the matter is…"

"You don't know my sister!"

"And sometimes, we're blinded by our love for our family that we fail to see what's really going on," Mrs. Smith said. Emily shook her head.

"I'm not blind!"

"Emily…"

"Serena's not a bad person! She's not mooching off James! She's not bad for him! She's great for him! They're perfect for each other…"

"Sweetie, why don't you let us handle this. I'm sure you've got homework or something to work on…"

"You're not getting it!" Emily cried and stormed out of the room. That talk had officially done more harm than good. Now, James looked like the idiot blinded by love, she looked like the naïve little sister, and Serena was the selfish, back against her wall mommy who only fell in love with James so she would have someone to take care of her baby. Emily raced off to her bedroom, locked the door, and anytime someone tried to talk to her, she would yell for them to go away.

When Mike tried to bring her dinner, and tried to convince her things around the dinner table and in the house weren't as tense as she thought, she refused to answer. He set the plate down by the door, hoping she would get hungry and take it, and returned back to the kitchen with the Rangers, minus Serena and James, but plus Mr. and Mrs. Smith. He took his seat and sighed as he picked up his fork and started to roll his meatball around from side to side.

"She'll calm down," Mrs. Smith told him, "It's a big reality check for her."

"With all due respect," Mike looked to James' parents, "Emily's been around the baby thing right from the start. You've only been here a couple of hours."

"We're only trying to look out for our son."

"By doing what?" Kevin asked. "Even if your conspiracy theory is right, James does still love Terran. He still considers himself Terran's father. And Terran is a factor. If you expose Serena and break her away from James, you're breaking up Terran's family too."

"We do what we think is best for our son," Mr. Smith insisted and he was about to add on a little more, but Emily appeared in the doorway, looking very upset.

Mrs. Smith offered her a little smile, hoping to cheer her up. She had no ill-feelings towards Serena's little sister, knowing she was caught in the crossfire, just like Terran. It wasn't her fault her sister was desperate.

Emily didn't even look her way though. She picked Terran up from his high chair and then looked to Mike, "We're going on a walk."

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked. Emily shook her head.

"I just want Terran."

Mr. and Mrs. Smith looked to each other and then to Emily, "Sweetie, I hope you understand…"

"Yeah, I get it," Emily whispered. "I just need to clear my head for a bit, I promise."

"Bring Storm with you," Mike said, "You know I don't like you going out by yourself so late, especially with Terran."

Emily nodded her head, gave him a kiss on the cheek and then left the room. She carried Terran outside, set him in his stroller and then called Storm to her side. She clipped the leash onto the dog's collar and attached the other end of the leash to the stroller. She carefully made her way down the stairs and towards the gate. Once she arrived there, she stopped and reached into her back pocket, pulling out a note.

"They're going to hate me," she whispered to Terran and Storm, who looked up at her curiously as she attached the note on the gate. She shrugged her shoulders at them, "What? Terran, it's obvious you're getting between them. Maybe if you're out of the picture for a few days, your grandparents will see that your parents are meant for each other. They'll be fine."


	6. Another Runner

James' parents offered to do the dishes after the very awkward dinner, leaving the Samurai to do as they pleased. Because James and Serena hadn't come to dinner, they decided to deliver it to them. Kevin, Antonio, and Jayden went to find James in the dojo, pounding into a training bag while Mia went to check up on Serena. Mike waited in the common room for Emily to get back from her walk. He paced back and forth, chewing his nails nervously. He never liked it when she went off on her own. One thing they shared in common was their ability to attract trouble. She was strong, smart and experienced enough to care for herself if something happened, but there was always that what if that worried Mike, and kept him awake at night. Even when she was safe and sound in his arms, if he got a_ what if_ moment, he would be wide awake.

He paced back and forth, up and down the room. The smallest noise made him turn his attention to the door in hopes it was Emily coming inside. After what felt like an eternity he checked his watched. She had been out for a long time now and it was getting really dark. Hoping to see her on the path, he stepped outside to have a look.

He couldn't see anyone in the yard but hoped maybe she was just on her way back now. Jogging up to the gate, he wanted to open it and have a look around. Surely it was time to put Terran to bed. Emily had to be home now. But as he went to open the gate, he noticed something pinned on the door. Seeing it was a note, his heart stopped. He pulled it off and read it over quickly, using the backlight from his Samuraizer to see the words.

"_To whoever reading this, I'm really, really, really sorry I took off, but this is the only solution I can think of. Maybe everything will be okay between Serena, James, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith if we take Terran out of the picture for a bit. That way, Mr. and Mrs. Smith will see the real Serena._

"_Don't worry about me. I'm going to stay with Ji and Kate for a while, and Terran and Storm will be fine with me. I'll come back in a few days when everything's cleared up and all the arguing has stopped._

"_I love you all,_

"_Emily."_

Mike groaned and shook his head. At least she had been smart enough to tell them where she was, so he could check up on her. And with Ji and Kate looking after her, he knew she would be fine. Still, he wasn't happy she had run off, yet again. He pulled out his Samuraizer and tried to call her.

He got no answer. He tried again.

He got no answer.

He tried Ji's Samuraizer and it was answered almost right away.

"Mike, is everything okay?"

"Is Emily with you?"

"Is she supposed to be?"

Mike looked at his watch again. Emily had been gone for hours now. Surely, even on foot, she whould have made it to James' old home, with plenty of time to spare.

"Yes."

"She is not here."

"Is she comes, call me," Mike said and then hung up and marched inside. Emily had been upset since her talk with the Smiths, and she would only leave because she was feeling upset. He had put it off long enough. He needed to know exactly what they said. He found them in their guest bedroom, getting ready for bed. Ignoring privacy because this was his house and his wife was missing, he stormed into their room and shoved the note in Mrs. Smith's face. "What the hell did you say to her?"

"What?" Mrs. Smith asked as she grabbed the letter and read it over, "Emily left?"

"Without telling anyone," Mike shook his head, "and I called Ji and Kate, they haven't even heard from her. She left at dinner; she should have made it to their place by now."

"Mike?" Mia stood in the doorway. She could hear his shouting from Serena's room. Serena was a little ways behind her, nervous about approaching James' parents. Mike pulled the note out of Mrs. Smith's hands and handed it to Mia. She read it over quickly. When she was done, she looked up, about to say something when Mike cut her off.

"Mentor hasn't heard from her."

Mia shook her head, "That's not right. If she left at dinner…"

"She should be there by now."

"What's going on?" Serena stepped in a little closer, "Who should be where?"

Mike handed Serena the note, and as she read it over he explained, "Emily tried to talk to them," he gestured to James' parents over his shoulder, "but things got a little heated and they said something that upset her. And an upset Emily is a…"

"Running Emily," Serena looked worried.

Mike nodded his head, "She came to us at dinner and said she wanted to take Terran on a walk to clear her head."

Mia had already left, and came back with the boys, explaining to them what happened as she brought them to the bedroom. James looked to Serena and gently pulled her into his arms, taking the note, "We can't jump to conclusions…"

"James, my sister and my son aren't where they should be!"

"Emily took Storm," Mia told her. "That's something."

"We'll find her," James promised, "We know where she wants to go, maybe we can catch up to her."

"I told Ji to call us if Emily arrived," Mike nodded his head, "but just in case, I want to look off the path, around the woods. If she's in trouble, she'll need help fast."

"We'll go with you," Jayden said and gestured to the Samurai. It was best for them to go off the path, considering they were a team of Samurai. If Emily had run into trouble, they were her best chance at getting her out.

James offered Serena a smile, "They won't find her, we will, and when we do we'll yell at her for this. We'll yell at her to our hearts content."

Serena nodded her head, took a deep breath and set out of the house, ready for her mission. Now it wasn't just Emily gone, but Terran as well. She hated this. The only way it could get worse was if James disappeared with them. Fortunately he was right there by her side.

Not at this very moment. As she stormed off to the door to get ready for the search, bringing a flashlight and spare batteries, James stayed behind with his parents. The Samurai were already running out of the house, eager to find their missing yellow.

James growled at his parents, "Alright, let me lay down the law here, mom and dad. You can talk shit about the decisions I made. You can be disappointed in me, and you can hate me for not telling you about my fiancée and my son. Hell, you can even talk shit about my fiancée. It'll be your own funeral if you do. But you can never, ever, talk poorly about Serena in front of Emily. You have no idea what they've been through as a family!"

"James…"

"What did you say to her?" James shouted and held up the note, "You talked to her last! Whatever she did, whatever she said, she was just trying to help!"

"We didn't…"

"You're going to help me and Serena look for her," James pointed to the door, "and when we do find her you're going to apologize and then you're going to make a choice. Serena and Terran are in my life now, and they aren't going anywhere. Either learn to live with that, or go home and wait for the Christmas card."

James stormed off and his parents exchanged very hurt looks. They hadn't meant for this.


	7. A Family United

Shining the flashlight down the path, Serena looked on worriedly. It was bad enough Emily had taken off, but she had taken Terran with her, and now they were both gone. Serena felt sick. She told herself they were okay, but her head kept reminding her bad things happened to young women and babies who travelled through the forest in the middle of the night. And with Nighlok roaming around, it was worst.

Fortunately, the Gap Sensor hadn't gone off.

Unfortunately, the Gap Sensor hadn't gone off.

Seeing his fiancée was scared, James walked up behind her and took her hand gently, "There's still a chance this could all be for nothing. Let's find her."

Serena nodded her head, wiped the tears away from her cheeks, took a big breath and then started off, never letting go of James' hand. Behind them, James' parents had decided to come with. Regardless of what they thought of James and Serena's relationship, they were still worried about Emily, and about the little boy they were expected to call a grandson. A little ways down the trail, Mrs. Smith sighed.

"It was a big surprise, you know."

"Not now, mom, please," James quickly glanced over his shoulder, hoping she would get the message that it was best to shut up.

"It's just that these are all big steps in your life," his mother ignored the look, "These are big decisions. Life changing decisions. A wife? A baby? A year ago you were a bachelor. If you had talked to us, we could have made sure this was right for you. We could have…"

"It is right for me," James growled. Serena gently stroked his arm. She could feel he was getting tense.

"James, it's okay. She's right."

James shook his head and stopped in his tracks. He turned around to look to his parents, "So then why couldn't you have said it like that right from the start? Why couldn't this have stayed between us? A little dispute between us I can handle. Why the hell did you have to go and get Emily involved?"

"She came to us," his father said. James shook his head.

"Of course she came to you! You stormed out of that room like Serena and Terran were the two biggest mistakes of my life! She was just trying to help! Then you go and say something to upset her, and whatever it is, it's bad enough for her to leave, and to take Terran with her! You have no idea what you've done!"

"James," Serena pulled his arm back, "Your big reveal wasn't exactly graceful."

"That's still no excuse," James shook his head, "None. Absolutely none. If anything happens to Emily or to Terran, or even just the dog, that's it!"

"No!" Serena shouted and let go of James' arm. She shook her head and tried to contain her tears. She wouldn't let James ruin his family because of her mistakes. "James, these are your parents!"

"Serena…"

"You can't find more parents, James! If you cut them out, they're never coming back!"

"Serena."

"No. It's fine, James. Whatever they said to Emily, they couldn't have known it would upset her…"

"Exactly! They don't know…"

"Because you never told them!" Serena shouted and then took his hands and looked up at him, "This whole mess could have been avoided, you know. But it wasn't, and you were forced to drop a bomb. Did you really expect peace and sunshine and rainbows after dropping a bomb?"

"Serena…"

"I'm not letting you cut your parents out of your life just for me and Terran. _That_ will be the biggest regret of your life. I'm not letting you choose. Whether they approve of me and Terran or not, they're your parents. I'm okay with whatever relationship you have with them, as long as you have one."

Mrs. Smith bowed her head. Mr. Smith wrapped his arms around her and looked to Serena.

"You really love our son?"

"Of course I do," she nodded. "I wouldn't ask him to put up with my crazy life if I didn't at least love him in return."

"We told your sister that we… we thought you just wanted James to be someone to… well pay for your mistake."

"Pay for her mistake?" James asked. As far as he knew, his parents were supposed to think Terran was his, no ifs, ands, or buts. Then he sighed, looked down at Serena and shook his head, "Emily…"

"Biologically speaking," Mr. Smith said, "Terran isn't ours in anyway, is he?"

Serena shook her head, "I was in love with someone else before James. Someone nowhere near as amazing as James."

"Serena never forced me to have a life with Terran. Well, no more than necessary," James smiled, "I knew about the baby from the word go. I still went after her. Now, several months later, I'm still happy I didn't give up because of a baby bump. Terran is an amazing little boy, and that's only because his mother is so amazing as well."

"Why don't we start over again?" Mr. Smith suggested and held out his hand to Serena, "James' father. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Serena shook his hand, "I wish the circumstances were a little better. Emily and Terran are still missing."

"We'll find them," James promised her and kissed her cheek.

They followed the path into the city, calling for Emily, for Terran, and for Storm, hoping one of them would somehow answer. When they got into the city, Serena kept her eyes peeled for any signs of where her sister could have gone, while James continued to lead the way to his old home. In her note, Emily said she wanted to stay with Ji and Kate. He hoped she had made it, and someone had stupidly forgotten to call.

"Your old house?" his father asked as they finally made it and they walked right up the steps. James nodded his head and pulled his key out of his pocket.

"I gave it to Serena's aunt to use when she's in town," James nodded. "This is where Emily said she would be."

He opened the door and then knocked, just so Ji and Kate would know they had company, though it was so late at night, they were likely tucked away in bed. James turned on the light and looked around the small house.

"James," he heard Serena call and turned to see her pulling out Terran's stroller from behind one of the front entrance walls, "Ji and Kate wouldn't need this, would they?"

James shook his head. He did have a stroller for Terran in the garage, but it didn't look like the one Serena had. That one belonged to the Shiba House.

Serena pushed the stroller towards the front door, stomped her foot loudly and shouted, "Emily Mae! Your ass better be in this living room before I count to three, or I'll make you go missing for real! One!"

"Middle naming me is not cool!" Emily whined as she popped out from the guest bedroom with her arms crossed over her chest, "Neither is waking up Terran. Shh!"

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Serena stomped over to her and grabbed her arm. She dragged her over to the couch and pushed her into it. "Running off like that? Like some kind of idiot! And with Terran? Do you have any idea how terrified I was?"

Emily nodded her head, "Yep."

"Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"

"Yep."

"Explain yourself then, miss," Serena growled.

"I love you."

"Pretty one-sided right now, moron," Serena shook her head.

"It was all an elaborate plan."

"A plan?" Serena asked. "You planned on running off? On scaring me to death! And you involved my son."

"You have no idea _why_ you and James are perfect together, do you?" Emily giggled. "I knew you two would come together, and I knew it would be enough to show his parents that this isn't just you looking for baby money."

"I oughta disown you," Serena growled, "So you think, running off, without telling anyone…"

Emily gave Serena a look, held up her hand to indicate she needed a moment, and then she pulled out her Samuraizer, "Mike?"

"Yeah, Em?"

"Did you already get the ice-cream?"

"Yeah, why? Change your mind?"

"Nope. Just checking. Thanks!" Emily hung up and looked to Serena with a smile. It fell from her face when she saw her sister really wasn't happy in the slightest, "Yeah… I guess I had this coming."

"They knew?" Serena shoved her sister into the back of the couch.

"Of course they knew!" Emily pointed to her left hand, showing off her wedding ring, "You do know what this means, do you? I don't leave Mike out of anything."

"Grab your things," Serena pointed to the bedroom, "We're going home. I don't care if you're eighteen or if you're married now, you're fucking grounded for life."

"Two weeks?"

"Eternity," Serena grabbed her sister's arm, pulled her up, and shoved her towards the guest bedroom. As Emily went to get her stuff, mostly just Terran and Storm, Serena turned to James and his parents. His parents looked a little confused, but James was doing all he could to hold back a laugh. She glared hatefully at him.

"This isn't funny."

"It's pretty funny," James nodded his head.

"James, she…"

"Obviously knows us better than we know ourselves," James continued to laugh, "Serena, whatever her plan was, however it was supposed to work, it did."

"Yeah, but James…"

"Everyone was in the plan but us," James shrugged his shoulders, still laughing, "C'mon, Serena, the kid was safe and she was smart. You can laugh a bit."

Serena grabbed the stroller and pushed it to James, "You're grounded too."

She walked towards her in-laws, took them by the arm and started to walk out of the house with them. She would yell at Ji and Kate later for going along with Emily's plan, "So, any embarrassing stories about James you want to share?"

"Serena, that's not cool," James stopped laughing and shook his head, "Mom, dad, please don't…"

"Well, there was that one time…"

"No!" James pulled Serena away from his parents and tried to drag her out the door, but her Samurai training was far more advanced than his, and she slipped free. He grabbed her again and this time put her over his shoulder. Then he started to sing loudly, and very poorly, so Serena couldn't hear his parents talking. It woke up the neighbours, who shouted a few profanities from their windows, but James didn't care. Serena would not be hearing any embarrassing stories.


	8. One Big Happy Family

Emily sulked in her bedroom. Serena couldn't actually ground her anymore – she wouldn't let her – but it was best if she stayed away from Serena for the next little while, and her bedroom was the only safe place to hide. She had come up with her plan, with the help of others, knowing it would not only bring Serena and James' family closer together, but also knowing it would piss her sister off at the end. She knew exactly how much her sister and James cared about her, which was why the plan worked, and why hiding now was necessary.

The door opened up and Emily smiled. One thing Serena couldn't stop was Mike. He walked into the room, hiding something behind his back.

"You got it?" Emily asked. Mike closed the door and then revealed two bowls and nodded his head.

"Of course," he handed her one bowl and sat down beside her on the bed. Emily gave him a kiss and then dug into her ice-cream, eating it happily. Mike chuckled as he watched her. "That plan was really, really risky, you know."

"I know," Emily nodded, "But Serena was scared this would tear James and his parents apart, and they couldn't see just how much Serena and James actually loved each other and this whacky family they have. I knew if they could see Serena and James coming together, they would know it was real, Serena would convince James not to be mad at his family, and everything would work out. And it did."

"You're a mastermind. I'm really rubbing off on you, huh?"

"Yeah, but at least I use my risky plans for good," Emily smirked and flicked some ice-cream from her spoon on Mike's face. "Now, our family just got a bit bigger."

"Oh joy," Mike rolled his eyes and wiped the ice-cream of his face.

"Hey, Terran having non-Samurai grandparents will be good for him. You're his favourite uncle. You should be happy this all worked out."

"I am," Mike nodded his head and grabbed his bowl, "You did a nice thing, Emily. A stupid thing as far as Serena's concerned, but she'll thank you for it later once her heart attack stops."

"I hope," Emily looked down at her bowl, ready to scoop up another mouthful of ice-cream when suddenly she felt something cold and creamy splat on her head, and Mike started to laugh.

"That's for flicking ice-cream in my face," he said as he pulled his bowl off her head. "You didn't think I wouldn't try to get revenge for that, would you?"

Emily could feel the ice-cream dripping down her face, rolling around her eyes, down her nose, into her mouth, "Mmm, why does someone else's food always taste so much better?"

Mike playfully shoved her, "Hey, that's my ice-cream!"

"Mine now," Emily licked her lips and moved away from Mike, "Mmm, so good!"

Mike gently grabbed her and pushed her down on the bed, leaning over to kiss her. As she returned the kiss, her hand slipped down, reaching for her own bowl. While Mike was distracted with the ice-cream on her lips, she emptied her bowl on his back. She giggled as Mike squealed from the cold. He straightened himself up and tried to get the ice-cream off his back before it slipped down his pants.

The ice-cream was on his shirt, so he pulled it off and turned to Emily, who had taken this time to get away from him. However, she was grounded and wasn't allowed to leave the room, unless she wanted to face the wrath of her still angry sister.

"Two to one for you, Em. You know I've at least got to get even, right?" he tossed his shirt at her. She caught it in her hands and stuck out her tongue.

"Ha ha! Missed mEEEE!" Emily squealed as Mike came over to her, grabbed her, and lifted her up. She asked him to put her down but he only complied once they were back on the bed. He set her down and then sat on top of her. Emily tried to squirm away but she was stuck. "Uh-oh," she giggled.

-Samurai-

Serena was just getting Terran back into bed, knowing he was a little fussy because he had been moving around all night, when there was a knock on her door. Terran was close enough to sleep that she could leave him, so she turned down the light a little bit and opened the door. It was James' parents.

"Terran's sleeping," Serena whispered and gestured for them to talk in the hallway. She really didn't want him to be woken up again. When the door was closed she turned back to her future in-laws and saw they were giving each other looks, apparently trying to decide who would speak. Mrs. Smith finally rolled her eyes and looked to Serena.

"You have a very beautiful son."

"Thank you," Serena smiled.

"We're sorry for the way we reacted…"

"Don't apologize," Serena shook her head, "It was a lot of news. You were right to be a little angry."

"Yes, we were," Mrs. Smith nodded, "but we had no right to start assuming things about you. We made some accusations to your sister that, really, we shouldn't have made. Not before getting to know you and your story first. I'm sure she'll agree, they weren't very flattering."

"There really is no flattering accidental pregnancy, father not being around story," Serena shrugged and then smiled at the Smiths, "except when an amazing man swoops in to save the day. You've raised an unbelievably awesome man. I've never wanted to lean on him, especially with Terran, but I would never be here without him. Honestly, I would have lost my head a long, long time ago, figuratively, and probably literally."

"We hope we can get the chance to know you a little better before any wedding," Mrs. Smith chuckled, "We will be invited to that, right?"

"Of course," Serena nodded her head. "I promise, James will keep in touch a lot more now. You'll know about the wedding as soon as we pick the date."

"Sounds great," Mrs. Smith opened her arms, inviting Serena in for a hug. The white Ranger smiled, accepting the hug from both of James' parents. Then they wished her a goodnight and started for their room. A little ways down the hall, just before Serena could disappear into her own room, they stopped and called her name.

"Yeah?"

"You have a very… special family, don't you?"

"I call them the whack pack," Serena nodded, "As you can probably tell, my sister is the queen. Don't worry. I'm the normal one."

"Normal?" James scoffed playfully as he turned the corner, ready for bed himself, "Maybe the _most_ normal one, but given how crazy everyone in this house is, that's not saying much."

Serena stuck out her tongue, "You're part of this family now."

"Good night," Mr. and Mrs. Smith chuckled, "We'll see you in the morning."

"Night, mom. Night, dad," James waved to his parents just before Serena shoved him into their bedroom. James chuckled, "Aw, Serena, I think my parents like the whack pack."

"Then they're idiots," Serena smirked, "Honestly, they should run away now."

"They probably should," James nodded and pulled down the blankets. "By the way, you know how you grounded Emily?"

"Are you thinking of putting a lock outside her door and windows too?"

"No," James shook his head, "I was thinking, it's not working."

"What's not?"

"Grounding her."

"Why?"

"Well, I walked by hers and Mike's room and…" James saw Serena staring at him blankly and shook his head, "You know what, never mind. You've had a rough day as it is. Forget I said anything."

Serena was about to ask then got a look on her face – a sour look. She shook her head to rid herself of the thought creeping up, and then crawled into bed with James.

"Hold me."

"Aww," James laughed and kissed the top of her head, "Well, they are married."

"Shut up. I said hold me, not speak."


	9. Pools and Laughs

To try to make up for causing a bit of drama in the house, Mr. and Mrs. Smith were the first ones awake and they were making everyone a big, delicious breakfast. They hadn't planned on staying very long, just one night, and needed to make up for lost time, especially with their new grandson.

To get back on side with the house, they were making everything: pancakes, croissant, bacon, eggs, toast, fresh fruit, and breakfast sausages. It was a real feast, one Mrs. Smith usually only made for Christmas breakfasts, when her whole family would be gathered around the table.

Just as it was close to being done she and Mr. Smith, who was setting the table, heard someone approaching the kitchen. Turning around, they saw it was nearly the entire house. Jayden, Antonio, Kevin, Mia, Serena, James, and Terran were all up, and they all seemed to be wearing the same pyjamas, with only the colour of the outline to tell them all apart. Mr. Smith chuckled when he saw them.

"You know, all together like that, you kids look like you could be the Power Rangers."

Eyes darted around the room in panic, as everyone looked to each other, mostly James, to see if anyone had spilled the beans. Mr. Smith continued to laugh while Mrs. Smith came to the table with the eggs and smacked him on the back of the head.

"I think matching pyjamas is cute," she said, "It shows unity. Something our family really needs."

"It's comfortable," Serena looked down at her training uniform, "but it's actually not pyjamas. We were going to do a bit of exercising this morning and…"

"Not on an empty stomach," Mrs. Smith shook her head. "I worked hard on this breakfast."

"You?" Mr. Smith gave her a look. She nodded.

"It took you an hour to set the table. If you were any lazier, you'd stop breathing."

"This table is set amazingly," Mr. Smith gestured to his work proudly, "You only see table settings like this in five-star restaurants."

Mrs. Smith rolled her eyes and invited the Samurai to have a seat. They gathered around and commented on how great the food looked and smelled. Antonio was about to take the first piece of toast when a hand slapped his away.

"Not everyone is at the table," Mrs. Smith scolded him, "Where is Mike and Emily?"

"I'm here," Mike arrived in the room, took his seat and snatched a piece of bacon before Mrs. Smith could slap his hand. "Emily's hiding around the corner."

"Hiding?" Jayden turned around and saw Emily poking her head out and looking to Serena worriedly. She was scared that, even after a night to cool off, her sister was still going to bite her head off. "We'll protect you, Em."

Emily stepped out of hiding only a bit, exposing half her body. Serena rolled her eyes and gestured to the spot between her and Mike.

"C'mon, munchkin, I won't kill you."

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise," Serena sighed. Emily raced over to her chair, had a seat, and looked at her food with a big smile. She was starving. Given the way Mike was already eating, he was starving too. James smirked as he looked at the two of them.

"You worked up an appetite, huh?"

"We have no idea what you're talking about," they both answered as they piled food on their plates, and the rest of the family joined them, getting as much as they could before someone else took everything. Mr. and Mrs. Smith both watched the Samurai interact with each other. This was their first chance to see everyone together since arriving at the house, and they found it fascinating just how close they all were. They helped each other out by passing the food around, teased other, and sometimes tag-teaming to do so, but never crossing the line, always keeping the mood fun. There were a lot of strange comments, gestures, and faces, but they were, without a doubt, a family.

Watching their son interact with them, blending in seamlessly, they could see this was exactly where he belonged. All that, added to the way he cared for Terran by feeding him special little pieces of the grown up food, including him in conversations, especially when it came to teasing Serena. And then there was the way James would look at Serena. Mr. and Mrs. Smith had never seen their son look at any girl, or anyone, like James looked at Serena. There was nothing but love and kindness, and no matter how much they seemed to tease and annoy each other, there was always that look of love.

Then, Mrs. Smith turned her attention just next to Serena, where Emily seemed to be watching Serena and James as well, and grinning very, very brightly as they lovingly took jabs at each other, or took jabs from the others and standing against them as a united front.

James would be fine. With a loving fiancée, a beautiful son, and a family looking out not just for Serena, but for both of their best interest, there was no way he could get hurt.

When breakfast was done, Mr. Smith insisted he do the dishes and clear the table, while Mrs. Smith offered to babysit Terran while the Samurai went to exercise. Based on the conversations around the dinner table, exercising in the morning was obviously very important to them and the Smiths wouldn't keep them from it. Plus, it gave them a chance to bond with their now grandson, who was too cute not to love.

"You," Mrs. Smith lifted Terran out of his high chair and cleaned his face with a wet towel, "are a very, very lucky boy."

She tickled his stomach and Terran giggled loudly, falling into her chest to try and avoid her dancing fingers. Mrs. Smith kissed him on the top of his head and smiled happily. She had fallen in love with him.

"We are not kidnapping him," Mr. Smith chuckled, seeing the look on his wife's face, "He's cute, but the last thing we need is another baby in the house. We finally have some peace and quiet now that the grandkids are back in school."

"But look at his face," Mrs. Smith held him up, "Can't we make one more exception?"

"We'll make sure we see him often enough for you to get your baby fix," he promised her and then took Terran from her hands, "For now, the dish soap they use is the one that irritates my hands, maybe you could do the dishes and I'll take the little poopy pants off your hands…"

"Dish soap doesn't irritate your hands," Mrs. Smith hugged Terran to her chest and walked to the common room, "Seriously, Frank, after forty years, you think you can still fool me with that?"

"One day I'll get you."

-Samurai-

Outside, Serena was helping James train by teaching him a few new moves. She was impressed by how far Mia's grandmother had got him in terms of actually fighting off the Nighlok, but because he needed to learn to fight at a faster pace than most of the other Samurai, his technique leaned more towards the side of getting the job done quickly, and less on the side of getting the job done quickly and effectively.

She brought him to the mat, explaining exactly what she was doing so James could try the same on her. When he was down, he looked up at her and smiled.

"You see, I told you my parents would love you."

"They are sweet," Serena nodded her head and got up. She held out her hand to help him up. "And they didn't run off like my parents did."

"I wouldn't have blamed them if they had," James chuckled, "Apparently, within five minutes of walking in the door, they saw high on life Emily, and Lady Slips-A-Lot. As much as I was worried about their reaction to you and Terran, I was pretty damn sure they would hear she was your sister and they would get up and walk out the door."

"I should really start telling you about the boys Emily scared away," Serena smirked. "Dad rarely ever had to pull out his shotgun. Most guys would see Emily and they would run."

"Seriously?"

Serena nodded, "When I started dating, Emily was still young, and very jealous some strange boys were getting all of my attention. One guy got head butt."

"Ouch."

"You don't even know where, yet," Serena smirked, "Emily was always very small, but not always small enough. On this particular night, if she had been any smaller, my date could have just spread his legs and she would have run right through them. But nope, this time she was just tall enough to…"

"Ooh," James groaned painfully, "I got off lucky."

"Very," Serena nodded. Then she nodded her head towards Emily, "Time?"

"Do it."

Serena turned around and called her sister over, "Hey, Em! I was just telling James about that move mom taught us. He wants to know how it's done. Wanna help?"

Emily lowered her sword and nodded her head. She would take any chance she could get to whack James. She bounced over to her sister and James happily. Then she set her sword down. This was a hand-to-hand skill. She wouldn't need it.

As soon as her sword touched the ground, Serena grabbed her, pinning her arms to her side, and lifted her up.

"HEY!" Emily cried and kicked her feet, "This isn't…"

"Punishment for running away and kidnapping our son," Serena told her. "Apparently, grounding you backfired."

James grabbed Emily's legs. She tried to kick him away, but he was strong enough to keep from getting hurt. Serena then looked over to Kevin, "If you would."

"You're helping?" Emily shrieked and squirmed, hoping Serena and James would lose their grip. Kevin pulled out his Samuraizer and nodded.

"It's always funny," he said and traced a symbol. Suddenly the ground opened up and filled with water, creating a little pool, big enough to throw Emily in. Her eyes widened.

"I don't wanna be dunked!"

"Then we'll toss you," Serena and James walked her to the edge of the newly made pool and started to swing her, "One! Two! …"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Three!" they swung her towards the water and let her go. Emily screamed as she soared up, and then fell right down into the water, creating a giant splash. The only consolation for her was that the splash got James and Serena wet, but the fact that they didn't seem to care cancelled it out.

Emily surfaced and spit water from her mouth, making a face as she did, "It went up everywhere and tastes like dirt!"

"Remember that next time you 'plan' something dangerous and don't tell me about it," Serena knelt by the edge of the pool and smirked. Then she put her hand on her sister's head and dunked her again. When Emily surfaced, she wiped her eyes and looked up at Serena. Seeing the look on her sister's face, she dunked herself.

This time, when she surfaced, Serena held her hand out, offering to help her out of the pool. Hoping she had been punished enough, she trusted the hand. Serena lifted her out and created a towel. She wrapped it around Emily and gave her a hug.

"My stupid, loving sister."

"You're mean," Emily coughed. She could feel the water still up her nose and dripping down the back of her throat. It was also clogging up her ears, making her very uncomfortable and making things very hard to hear.

Serena kissed Emily's forehead, "It was stupid, Em, but thank you."

"Yeah," James nodded, "Don't ever do it again, but we appreciate it."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Emily muttered. She hid her face under the towel, "I hate all of you."

Serena gave her sister another quick hug, and then she and James went back to training. When Emily heard they were gone, she peeked out from under the towel and saw the other Samurai standing around her.

"Tilt your head to the side and bounce a bit," Kevin told her, "It'll get the water out of your ear. Trust me."

"What?" Emily asked and stuck the towel in her ear. Kevin laughed and showed her what she needed to do. Emily caught on and started to bounce. Like magic, the water fell out of her ear and her head felt normal again.

Except for her nose, which had taken in the most water. She would take care of that later, though she was sure she would need a waterproof tissue.

"You're okay?" Mia asked her, "They tossed you pretty high."

"Yeah," Emily nodded her head and before she knew it, she was shoved into the water again. When she surfaced she looked up at Mia, horrified, "MIA!"

"That will never get old," Mia laughed. Then she turned her gaze to Mike. If pushing Emily into a pool was funny, doing the same to Mike would be hilarious. She reached her arm out to shove him, but Mike saw this coming, he grabbed her arm and threw her into the pool.

So Kevin shoved him in.

Emily grabbed Kevin's leg and started to pull him closer to the water. Kevin tried to keep his balance, but eventually he was going to have to choose between hitting the ground and hitting the water. He preferred water and had no choice but to fall in.

However, as a last ditch attempt to save himself, he reached out and grabbed Jayden's arm, pulling the fire Samurai in with him.

Seeing everyone in the water but him, Antonio could no longer resist.

"CANNON BALL!"

The Samurai screamed and swam out of his way. Working together, Kevin and Emily extended the pool quickly so there would be enough room for all of them.

From inside the house, the Smiths were done with the dishes and caught sight of the Rangers dunking each other in the pool.

"Crazy people. They are all crazy people," Mrs. Smith said and looked down at Terran, "You're really going to have to spend time with us."

"Like we aren't crazy," Mr. Smith laughed. "They're kids. They're having fun. Let them be kids."

"Hopefully it's fun," Mrs. Smith shook her head, but couldn't help but laugh, "but you know, it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt."

Terran giggled and clapped his hands. Mr. and Mrs. Smith looked to him, and then looked out the window. Serena and James were no longer on the mats. Seeing two more heads in the pool, they could only assume James and Serena had been dunked as well. It seemed no one was safe.

"Hey, do you remember this place having a pool?" Mrs. Smith suddenly asked her husband, "I don't remember seeing one on the way up."

"We must have just missed it," Mr. Smith shrugged, "OH! Look! Another dunk!"

Terran squealed with laughter as he watched. This time it was his Auntie Emy going under. He clapped his hands and bounced with joy on the couch. Mrs. Smith couldn't resist taking him into her arms and hugging him. Mr. Smith smiled happily and put his head on his head.

"You find that funny, grandson? You'll fit right in. Your cousins like teasing each other too."


	10. Blue Birds And Burning Puddles

By the time the Rangers got out of the pool, the morning was turning into the afternoon. They could feel their stomachs rumbling for lunch and it was enough to bring them out of the water. As they got to the door, dripping wet, it opened and Mr. and Mrs. Smith stepped out with their bags in their hand.

"Terran's down for a nap, and we need to head home," Mr. Smith said as he took his wife's bags so she could hug her son tightly.

"Your sister asked us to pick up the kids from school," she said, "If we're late for that, we'll have to buy them all ice-cream."

"Good luck," James chuckled, knowing his nieces and nephew could be a handful most of the time. Boy, was Serena in for a treat when she met his extended family. As he pulled away from his mother, he gave her a smirk, "You think your sister is a handful."

"Am not!" Emily cried and crossed her arms over her chest. Serena looked over her shoulder. Emily had begged, and obviously gotten her way, and was getting a piggy back into the house. She was, at this moment, literally a handful. Serena's cocked eyebrow forced her to drop her pout and her arms, "Oh… right…"

"We had a wonderful time," Mrs. Smith hugged Serena, "It was a pleasure getting to know all of you."

"Sorry about the water," Serena said when she saw the marks on her mother in-law's shirt, "It's a bit of a hot day out."

"We saw you messing around," Mr. Smith laughed, "You kids looked like you were having fun."

"Lots!" Emily smiled, "But I still have water up my nose."

"We'll be sure to keep in touch," Mrs. Smith finished her round of hugs with the Samurai, while Mr. Smith gave them all a tip of his hat. He wasn't really one for physical contact with people he barely knew. Even with family, it took something really special to get a hug out of him. James and Serena, however, did get their own hugs as he made his way to the car. Then, the bags were packed into the trunk, and the Smith parents took their seats in the car. Mr. Smith signalled James to come over by himself.

"I am very proud of you, son," he smiled and gave James a pat on the back as James leaned down to look in the window. The young man smiled.

"Thanks, dad."

"Next time, you keep us in the loop, right? We want to see an invitation to a wedding and we want to know when to expect another grandchild."

"I'll keep you in the loop, I promise," James nodded his head. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you all this before."

"Don't worry about it," Mr. Smith chuckled, "Obviously, you were busy finding and holding on to a very wonderful family. Make sure they take care of you, and you take care of them. Especially that boy of yours."

"I will," James grinned. Through the window, he shared another hug with his father and over his shoulder he gave his mother a smile. When they pulled apart, James bit his lip, hiding his tears until they were out of the yard and on their way back home. The other Samurai went inside to get dried off, but James heard someone coming up from behind him.

"Aw…"

"I'm not crying," he shook his head and dried his eyes.

"Man tears, right?" Serena chuckled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. James nodded.

"Yeah, obviously."

"I like your family," Serena kissed his cheek, "and more importantly, they like me. And it didn't take months to get on their good side."

"Hey, Emily's a special case," James shook his head, "and besides, that's two very different categories. When it comes to parents, in a matter of hours I got them to let me take your hand in marriage. It took you a day to get on their good side."

"Same amount of time."

"And we can't compare siblings yet, because you haven't met mine," James smirked. "That is really going to be entertaining, with an older sister and a younger brother. Plus, their spouses, and the kids."

"If I can deal with the whack pack every day, your family will be a piece of cake."

"Just keep thinking that," James turned to the house, needing to shower. Serena followed him.

"Are you saying, all this time you've complained about my crazy family knowing your family was crazier? Uh, hypocrite, much?"

"It's a different crazy."

"And your family will be harmless crazy. I'm thinking of handing out hard hats at the door when people come to mine."

"Hard hats and bullet proof vests."

"Good idea," Serena chuckled. She opened the door, letting James in first. Then she stepped in and let the door swing shut on it's own.

From around the corner, Storm had been waiting for this moment since everyone had started coming inside. She needed to pee desperately, but no one seemed to remember it was her time to go. Before the door closed, she stuck her nose in the way, and with all the strength left in her little body, she opened it wide enough to squeeze out. On the patio, she looked around. She needed to pee very badly, but that wouldn't stop her from finding her perfect spot. This time, she chose Ji's herb garden. Racing over proudly, she did her business and then saw a blue bird sitting on top of the fence. She barked, scaring it off and the bird flew over to the other side. Storm, on the hunt, followed by running out of the gate that had been left open for the Smiths car to leave the yard.

On her own, without a leash or even a collar, Storm ran right into the forest and followed the bird closely, barking to it as it flew in through the trees. Storm, who was looking up to keep her eyes on her prey, didn't see the root sticking out of the ground, tripped over it, rolled on the ground, and then SPLASH!

With a loud cry, Storm found herself in a deep puddle of water. But unlike other puddles, which she loved to play in after it rained, this puddle hurt. It burned her little body, and Storm screamed torturously as she swam out of the pool and tried to shake the water off. When the burning didn't cease, no matter how dry she felt her fur get, Storm started to run around and scratch herself against the trees, hoping that would relieve the pain.

"STORM!" she barely heard a familiar voice cry. One of the Samurai had noticed she wasn't in the house, saw the gate was open and automatically assumed the worst. Jayden emerged from the trees and saw Storm whining and scratching desperately, looking to be in terrible pain.

He scooped her up, "What did you get yourself into this time?" he looked around, but Storm had gotten far enough away from the burning puddle that he couldn't see it anymore, and she was already dry, as the water had soaked into her skin, which burned her even more. He held her to his chest and started to carry her home, "We're going to have to be more careful with you. Emily would kill us all slowly if we lost you."

Storm whimpered, trembled, and cried in Jayden's arms. She felt sick. She felt very, very sick.


End file.
